State and Model the Objective
Tell the children that they will learn dance steps as they read and write words that end in op, such as hop, mop, bop, pop, stop, flop, and drop.

Literacy Activities
Read We Can Dance

• Read the We Can Dance target text (see below) with the children; support as needed.
• Have the children write words that end in op (e.g., drop, mop, flop, pop, bop) from dictation.

Learn dance steps

• Show the children dance steps that go with -op words:
  • Flop: let your head or upper body be floppy
  • Mop: pretend to mop the floor
  • Bop: nod your head
  • Pop: flick hands open and shut as if popping popcorn
  • Stop: hold up a hand as if stopping traffic
  • Drop: pretend to drop things on the floor
  • Hop: hop on one foot
• Play music (optional), call out -op dance steps (e.g., flop), and let the children perform the steps.
• Segment words into phonemes (e.g., b + o + p) and have the children say the word and perform the action.

Hop on footprints

• Show the children footprints (see below) and have them read the words.
• Lay out the footprints, say an -op word, and have one child hop to that word and stop.
• Have all the children perform the dance step that goes with the chosen word.

Rap about dance steps

• List words that can be used as dance steps (e.g., hop, flop, bop, pop, cop, stop, mop).

• Let the children help write a rap by having them fill in -op words.

  When we dance, we ___ and ___.
  Then, we ___ and ___ and ___.
  We make cars stop just like a cop.
  We ___, ___, ___.
  In the end we flop, drop, and stop.

• Have the children perform their rap using the dance steps.

Identify, blend, and manipulate sounds

• Using word-building cards (see below), have the children make new words by changing a consonant or the vowel.
  • Change the beginning consonant: top→ mop, cop→ bop, pop→ hop
  • Change the vowel: top→ tap, mop→ map, hop→ hip, cop→ cup
• Write an -op word (e.g., hop) with a little space between the letters (e.g., h o p).
  • Have the children say the word as they move their finger from left to right, across the letters.
  • Ask the children to point to the first sound in the word (e.g., /h/) and then to the last sound in the word (e.g., /p/).